1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to readily transportable apparatus used in handling and storing numerous, independent equipment components, and more particularly, this invention is directed to a portable pack for storage of emergency medical equipment wherein all of the stored components are readily and independently accessible, even in confined areas.
2. The Prior Art
For the critically ill or severely injured victim, the difference between life and death often depends upon the immediate institution of life saving measures and treatment at a remote location before transporting the victim to a hospital. The institution of these life saving measures in an attempt to stabilize the victim prior to transportation requires the use by medically trained personnel of various components of specialized equipment.
For the patient who becomes seriously ill or injured away from the setting of the hospital, life saving treatment necessitates that this equipment and the specially trained personnel arrive rapidly at the scene. In recent years, the use of paramedics and other specially trained personnel to treat the seriously ill or injured at remote locations has increased dramatically. Indeed, even the use of helicopters and airplanes to transport such personnel and their equipment to the victim has become standard in many localities.
One of the major problems which has been encountered with the increased use of emergency vehicles is the confined space restrictions. Because the amount of space in an emergency vehicle is very limited, limitations are necessarily placed on the types and amounts of emergency medical equipment which can be transported. In an attempt to transport as much equipment as possible, the result is the critical need to organize and store the medical equipment in such a manner that it can be used in the emergency vehicle and still be hand-carried to the location of the victim.
An emergency medical pack capable of carrying the necessary life saving equipment to the location of the patient must be portable, lightweight, and easily carried. It must also allow easy identification of equipment and rapid entry into the equipment containing compartments while providing needed protection for the specialized equipment in order to avoid damage or loss.
One of the major problems with presently designed emergency medical packs is the inability to rapidly access needed emergency medical equipment both at the scene and in areas of confinement, i.e., ambulances, airplanes, and helicopters. Presently designed packs capable of carrying the specialized equipment are typically not suited for use in such confined spaces. Frequently, such packs permit access to their contents only through a single opening in one portion of the pack or by fully opening panel members in the manner of conventional suitcases. In the use of packs having only a single opening for access, it will be readily appreciated that rapid identification and recovery of desired items from deep within the pack can be extremely difficult. Although the panel opening packs used in the prior art somewhat reduce this problem, the additional room required for their use has generally made it impractical, if not impossible, to use them in the confined spaces within ambulances, helicopters, airplanes, and the like. Additionally, some victims such as injured hikers are often located in crevices or on ledges, and the use of prior art packs even at the location of the patient can be severely restricted.
The inability to readily access needed specialized equipment in confined areas delays the implementation of life saving treatment required in major medical emergencies. Such delays may indeed make the difference between life or death, and certainly these delays can increase the likelihood and extent of resultant permanent injury. It is, therefore, of utmost importance that all equipment be readily accessible during the transport of patients in these areas of confinement.
Another problem that is often encountered while treating accident victims at the scene is the inability to effectively treat more than one person at a time. Although more than one medically trained person may be at the scene, it is seldom the case that two or more full sets of equipment are there. There is usually only one pack containing all of the equipment and that pack has to be transferred from victim to victim. No provisions have been made in prior art packs to arrange the equipment so that parts of it can be safely and effectively removed and utilized on another victim while the pack remains near the first victim or in a central location.
Accordingly, it would be a significant advancement in the art to provide an emergency medical pack which could carry most of the necessary medical equipment to reach and treat seriously ill or injured persons both at remote locations accessible only by foot, as well as during the time they are being transported to a hospital by ambulance, helicopter, or airplane. It would be a further advancement in the art to provide an emergency medical pack wherein all of the equipment contained therein is readily accessible and identifiable, even in confined areas. It would also be an advancement in the art to provide an emergency medical pack wherein various pieces of equipment could be removed in separate pouches such that it could be safely transported to treat other accident victims. Such apparatus are described and claimed herein.